Weekly Columns

In recent weeks, we have seen courageous Cubans flood the streets across their country. The Cuban people desperately desire to protest the tyranny and incompetence of the communist dictatorship that has ruled their country with an iron hand for 62 years.

Over the past few weeks, the House Appropriations Committee has been working on the 12 annual bills that fund the entirety of the federal government. Indeed, the appropriations process is one of the most important functions of Congress and has generally been bipartisan with Democrats and Republicans working together to complete one of Congress’s most critical roles. That is, until this year when Democrats broke from this tradition and eliminated the life-saving Hyde Amendment.

Infrastructure is a topic that has been getting a lot of attention in recent weeks and months, especially after President Joe Biden rolled out a proposal earlier this year and with ongoing negotiations for actual legislation in Congress. Certainly, all Americans can agree that maintaining, repairing and improving infrastructure benefits everyone. Unfortunately, Democrats and President Biden have become fixated on “human infrastructure,” insisting that many social programs should be included in any future infrastructure package.

Independence Day importantly symbolizes another year that our hard-won freedoms, distinct system of government and unique institutions have endured the test of time. For just as liberty was secured at great cost nearly 250 years ago, it has required generations of Americans to defend, protect, preserve and expand.

As we celebrate 245 years since bold patriots declared independence from tyranny and created the unique and free country in which we live, I encourage you to remember how fortunate we are to call ourselves Americans. To this day, there is no freer country in the world nor is there any other place on earth that offers more opportunity for its people than the United States of America. And over the years, the fundamental belief that everyone has the right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” has drawn people to come here for their own share in the American Dream.

It has been nearly a year and a half now since the inception of the coronavirus pandemic, which has taken millions of precious lives, disrupted communities, and caused unthinkable economic damage around the world. Indeed, for many years to come, every country on earth will grapple with both the successes and lessons learned throughout every stage of the response to and recovery from the public health emergency.

The United States is a country of law and order and during the crime crisis our nation is facing, the president and leaders of these cities should not be turning a blind eye to crime and disorder. Ensuring safe communities is not a right versus left issue and should be a top priority for all lawmakers at federal and local levels of government.

As the world continues to recover from the destruction caused by the coronavirus pandemic, it is high time that answers regarding the mystery of its origin are uncovered and shared with the public. Most urgently, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) must answer for the theory that COVID-19 leaked from a lab that studied coronaviruses in Wuhan, China. Moreover, the CCP must be held accountable for the initial cover-up that allowed this virus to spread around the world and claim millions of lives.